1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Trifles. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The setting is Wright's farmhouse specifically in the kitchen, somewhere rural most likely in Idaho because to the description of the location, during the winter (due to it being extremely cold in the play) and staged sometime during the early 20th century due to the subordinate role of women within the play. The characters within the play are Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, Sheriff, The Court Attorney, and Mr. Hale. The characters find themselves within the Wrights farmhouse; the group of men are attempting to solve the murder mystery of Mr. Wright, while women are worrying about the state of the household and Mrs. Wright.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is the discovery of the dead strangled canary within a box that was the property of Mrs. Wrights, which lead to Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale discovering a possible motive, creating tension.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor would be the messy stitching within the second quilt which is the catalyst for the intrusion and so forth. The messy quilt also implies that Mrs. Wright was in a state of distress or nervous, which leads to the question of why.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question would be whether Mrs. Wright was the one who murdered her husband and whether the Sheriff and the Court Attorney will discover any evidence to convict her.
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
A) Mrs. Hale against herself: Mrs. Hale has to struggle with the guilt of not being attentive or a better friend to Mrs. Wright, she feels as if she could have prevented the situation from occurring.
B) Mrs. Hale against Mrs. Wright: Mrs. Hale has to make the decision of whether to help Mrs. Wright or turn in evidence that may get her convicted.
C) Mrs. Hale against the law, social norms, etc. : Mrs. Hale at first has to struggle whether she should defy the law or conform to it, by not telling the men of the evidence she has discovered. This rebellion is especially seen in the end when she hides the canary and creates a pack against the men with Mrs. Peters by saying "we".
D) Mrs. Hale against fate: Mrs. Hale tries to defeat Mrs. Wright fate of being discovered as her husbands' murder by hiding evidence from the Sherif and the Court Attorney, she feels as if she can protect Mrs. Wright due to her being a fellow woman in a male dominated society.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Trifles.
The most theatrical moment would be when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale decide to protect Mrs. Wright due to "sisterhood" and they have to quickly find a way to hide the dead canary that could be used to put Mrs. Wright away. This moment is extremely important because not only does it add more irony to the title, it outlines the importance of women in society and the role of sisterhood over societal norms and values.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The image of how Mr. Wright was strangled allows us to feel the full force of how the Wrights relationship, how the noose is a metaphor for how suffocating their relation was, how constricted it was.
The messy state of the house shows how Mrs. Wright was either not equipped or hated her role in the household, that she was not motivated to clean and tend the house like how the males viewed she should. The unkept house is just another reflection of her relationship with her husband, neglected and dirty.
The messy quilt allows us to continue to see the rebellious nature of Mrs. Wright even if she is not physically present in the play, men only see women as housewives with only certain roles, so her not keeping her quilt nice and tidy, presentable, shows how she is no longer carrying for societal restrictions and rules.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
Women vs. Men, misogyny, justice, sisterhood, loyalty and the power of women.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?
The family is redefined as those who have your best interest in mind. Even though Mrs. Wright had a husband she apparently did not view him as her family or someone she was happy with, but two women who she hardly knows, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale turn out to be her real family in the end by protecting her from being discovered as her husband's murderer.
The setting is Wright's farmhouse specifically in the kitchen, somewhere rural most likely in Idaho because to the description of the location, during the winter (due to it being extremely cold in the play) and staged sometime during the early 20th century due to the subordinate role of women within the play. The characters within the play are Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, Sheriff, The Court Attorney, and Mr. Hale. The characters find themselves within the Wrights farmhouse; the group of men are attempting to solve the murder mystery of Mr. Wright, while women are worrying about the state of the household and Mrs. Wright.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Trifles.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- The image of how Mr. Wright was strangled allows us to feel the full force of how the Wrights relationship, how the noose is a metaphor for how suffocating their relation was, how constricted it was.
- The messy state of the house shows how Mrs. Wright was either not equipped or hated her role in the household, that she was not motivated to clean and tend the house like how the males viewed she should. The unkept house is just another reflection of her relationship with her husband, neglected and dirty.
- The messy quilt allows us to continue to see the rebellious nature of Mrs. Wright even if she is not physically present in the play, men only see women as housewives with only certain roles, so her not keeping her quilt nice and tidy, presentable, shows how she is no longer carrying for societal restrictions and rules.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?